The town is one of the ten cities of the Decapolis listed by Pliny the Elder. There are many primary sources, including Pliny the Elder that list different variations of the cities of the Decapolis.
Capitolias was founded as a planned Roman city, perhaps for military purposes, under Nerva or Trajan in 97 or 98 CE. This date comes from the coins that were minted within the city. Inscriptions show that local citizens served in the Roman army. It was surrounded by a wall built in the 2nd century and had an area of 12.5 hectares according to one source, 20 acres according to another.
Capitolias theatre with Beit Ras in the background.
The city was named after Jupiter Capitolinus. Evidence shows that the site was extensively settled and grew in importance during the Roman and Byzantine eras. Capitolias also had some importance in the early Islamic (Umayyad) period.
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And while it may seem antithetical for a grim burial, the ‘vibrant’ scope pertains to the various brightly colored frescoes with ancient Greek inscription that cover the walls of the tomb chambers.
Interestingly enough, the discovery in itself was made quite fortuitously, with the unearthing being achieved during works to extend a local sewerage network. In terms of structure, the tomb complex comprises two separate chambers.
The larger one among them consists of a basalt sarcophagus that is decorated with the carvings of lion heads. As for the smaller one, the chamber contained two additional graves, but without any accompanying artifact.
Now as we mentioned before, the incredible part of this archaeological scope pertains to the vibrantly colored frescoes that dot the walls of the chambers.
According to Jordan Tourism Board, these kaleidoscopic scenes depict a range of subjects – from human forms, horses to even mythological renditions; thus alluding to the seemingly ‘festive’ funerary rites of the time.
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According to Jordan Tourism Board, these kaleidoscopic scenes depict a range of subjects – from human forms, horses to even mythological renditions; thus alluding to the seemingly ‘festive’ funerary rites of the time. 
And since we brought up the time-factor, researchers have hypothesized (from preliminary analysis) that the tomb is dated from the late Roman or early Eastern Roman (Byzantine) period, which corresponds to late antiquity.
Lastly, the historical ambit of Capitolias is not just limited to the Roman time-frame. In fact, a particular Arabic poetry excerpt not only mentions the city’s name, but also describes how the settlement contained a 2nd century theater and a later Byzantine church that provided the architectural ‘template’ for the subsequent Islamic buildings (of the Ummayad Caliphate era).
From the historical perspective, such comparisons do make sense, since many of the earliest Islamic structures, including mosques and shrines, like the Dome of the Rock, were considerably influenced by early Christian styles, namely the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) palaces and churches from the proximate areas.
From the historical perspective, such comparisons do make sense, since many of the earliest Islamic structures, including mosques and shrines, like the Dome of the Rock, were considerably influenced by early Christian styles, namely the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) palaces and churches from the proximate areas.
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